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I swing around, my body breaking out in a cold sweat, when I find he’s aiming his gun straight at Wren. Before anyone can react, he squeezes the trigger, and I explode into motion, throwing myself in front of her.
The bullet pierces my side in almost the same spot as Marcus’s did, and I fall to the ground as Jo races toward Matt. He avoids a shot before he pulls the gun from the madman’s grasp and rams the butt into his face.
Wren’s scream pierces the air as she scrambles toward me, hovering over me to press her hand over both wounds. I glance down, vaguely noting the fresh, sticky, red blood that already coats her delicate fingers.
She increases the pressure, and I hear Ford murmuring in the background, his voice as panicked as I’ve ever heard.
I raise my hand to Wren’s cheek, my lips attempting to lift in a smile as I take a moment to truly appreciate the masterpiece before me.
“Help is on the way, Vaughn. Stay with me.”
Wren’s voice is trembling, and fat tears fill those stunning gray eyes as I continue to soak in her beauty. As though I can bottle it and take it with me when I go.
I swallow roughly, working my throat muscles as my thumb brushes a tear from her bottom lashes.
“I’ve heard—” My throat constricts, and I cough, the action sending pain lancing through my entire torso before I try again. “I’ve heard that at the end, you will see the person youwantedto be…the person you thought youcouldhave been—”
“Hush, don’t say things like that.” Her tears are flowing in earnest now, and I place my free hand over hers where she’s attempting to stem the blood flow.
“I see that man when I look into your eyes, Wren Caputo. The man your eyes reflect has always made me feel that maybe,just maybe, I could rack up enough decency to be deserving of you.”
Her bottom lip trembles as she swallows her emotion, and I dust my thumb over and back across it. “You make me feel that I might just leave this world a little better than I found it.”
My hand drops down to her stomach, and a low, keening cry leaves her mouth as her head falls forward. “You can’t leave me. You can’t leaveus. Fight it. Fight to stay with us, Vaughn.”
My lips tremble with the force of choking out the words. “You’re the air in my lungs. You live in every beat of my heart. Before you, there was only darkness, little bird. You—you’re the stars when I’ve been living in perpetual night…”
The edges of my vision begin to blur as a flurry of activity erupts around me, but I feel like I’m watching it all from above.
A plethora of emergency responders swarm the scene. Mixed among them are the crooks from South Brook P.D., the tide instantly changing when Jo informs the State authorities what’s been happening in this sleepy Long Island town.
Jules has arrived. My heart rejoices when I see he’s cradling a sobbing Wren against the side of his large bulk as Ford helps Sara get the help she needs. All while paramedics work on my limp body until blissful darkness pulls me under, and everything stops.
CHAPTER40
VAUGHN
The Gothic gates of Woodbury stand tall as I pass through them. The sun is shining overhead, and birdsong floats on the barest breeze as it gently rustles through the tall sugar maple trees dotted throughout the cemetery.
My feet slowly amble toward the final resting place of my best friend, my brows tugging together when I find that I’m not his only visitor.
A lone figure, broad-backed in a white shirt paired with khaki slacks, stands by the graveside, head bowed low as I close the space.
I’m almost at my destination when the stranger looks up, and my feet plant themselves on the ground.
“Lorenzo?”
My friend’s mouth lifts in a bright smile as he spreads his arms wide. “Get over here.”
I stride forward, pulling him into my embrace as a mixture of shock and delight flows through my veins.
“Am I dead?”
Renzo pulls back, a deprecating grin on his face as he chuckles. “Unless you believe in the afterlife, then thismustbe a dream, right?”
I nod as a frown grows on my face. Wren’s face appears at the forefront of my vision, her cries echoing in my ears, and the longing to comfort her is entirely overwhelming.
“How the fuck do I wake up, then?”
